Football | Undersized Ng coming up big for Glenbard North

September 22, 2010|By Bob Narang | Tribune reporter

Standing next to his Glenbard North teammates, Mark Ng can easily be picked out as the kicker.

At 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, Ng fits the bill. The senior showed his leg strength by booting a career-long 41-yard field goal in No. 7 Glenbard North's 17-14 victory over No. 9 Wheaton North last Friday.

Ng might be the size of a typical kicker, but his full-time duties at quarterback merit more attention after Glenbard North won its fourth straight game. His versatility is one of the reasons the Panthers (4-0, 2-0) stand atop the DuPage Valley Conference standings.

Glenbard North trailed 7-0 when Ng knotted the score with an 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Senior Austin Siperly's blocked punt in the third quarter seemed to awaken the Panthers.

"Our defense and special teams stepped up huge tonight," Ng said.

Ng struggled finding a comfort zone in the first half against Wheaton North's aggressive defense. The Panthers converted one of their six third-down attempts in the first half.

When Ng started looking for wide receiver Sean Fogarty, the Panthers offense began moving. Ng hit Fogarty for an 18-yard reception on fourth down to set up Evin Natick's 2-yard scoring plunge.

Ng converted all four of his passing attempts for 33 yards in the scoring drive to extend Glenbard North's lead to 14-7.

Glenbard North's offensive line started wearing down Wheaton North in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were successful on four of their eight third-down tries and both fourth-down attempts after halftime. Ng iced the game by following his offensive line to convert a fourth down and inches in the final minute.

"The offensive line played great," Ng said. "They helped me out a lot."